Seven Ways to Say 'I Love You'
by stella8h8chang
Summary: Seven drabbles about seven moments in the lives of Gellert Grindelwald and Albus Dumbledore, a tragic duo who never really exchanged three little words, despite having a century to do so. How does it all end? Find out now! SLASH here.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: **I don't pretend to own any character from __Harry Potter, or for that matter, __Casablanca (one of the best movies ever). Casablanca is gorgeous. Tragic lovers rule my world. This story is another exercise in non-epicness – 2000 words in total. Seven short pieces dedicated to my favourite tragic slashy couple in the Harry Potter series. _**  
**

**Warning: S L A S H !  
With one mild sexual reference. **

* * *

**One.**

While their first attempts at making love have been awkward, rough and, there is no other word for it, _messy_, tonight their relationship is consummated. Perfectly. Like a dance to which they have finally both learnt the steps (after a lot of practises and a lot of trodden-on toes).

Entirely spent, the two of them lie together under the mild summer air and are soon lost to sleep.

The older one is the first to open his eyes. He runs his hands down the other boy's back, tracing the bony ridges of his shoulder blades and the hollows of his spine. With his long fingers, he gently parts the golden curls, which have blended on their pillow with his own russet locks.

He whispers in his soul-mate's ear, "I love you."

But then a warm, moist breeze makes him twitch. He opens his eyes, and realises that he has been dreaming. Well, almost. The boy – Gellert is his name – he has been calling it out all night – Gellert is beside him, sky-clad, and it is his breath that has awakened Albus. Gellert is so aware of the effect he has on Albus.

They exchange broad smiles, and lean in for another round of kisses. Albus thinks how pointless it would be to repeat himself; Gellert does not need legilimency to know precisely how he feels.

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

**Two. **

Professor Dumbledore, like every other Hogwarts teacher, reads the newspapers every morning with a growing sense of unease. There are reports of muggles being slaughtered across the Continent, wizards being imprisoned in a fortress greater than Azkaban, and governments magical and non-magical falling to one leader whom he knows far too well.

It is only a matter of time before Britain is threatened too.

In the privacy of his office, he unrolls a fresh sheet of parchment. He scrawls phrases like "stop now and turn over a new leaf", and "trust me, you will only destroy yourself", and "don't you care", and at the end, the thought strikes him and he writes "I do still love you".

He looks at those loopy letters in disgust, scrunches the parchment into a ball and tosses it away. How could he sink this low?

He thinks not only of genocide in Germany, but of a family being torn apart. He thinks of the sister lying six feet under Godric's Hollow, and he thinks of the brother in the pub in Hogsmeade who still refuses to speak to him.

No one must ever find this letter.

He picks it out of the bin, and methodically rips it into shreds. He walks to the fireplace, and drops the pieces into the dancing blue and green flames. His own eyes are quite dry.

* * *

**A/N: **Creepy, hey? Sorry I put this up later than on my LJ - I'm a little superstitious about numbers - and I was waiting for one of my favourites to roll around, since I have yet to figure how to warp the FFNet clock. 


	3. Chapter 3

Thank You to:

**1.** **koorimechick**, who lists _Seven Ways_ as one of her favourite stories. You have no idea how much I appreciate you.  
**2. **the **three **readers who have placed _Seven Ways_ on their alerts list. You rock.  
**3. **the **seven reviewers**! **I - love - you. **

* * *

**Three.**

Albus' eyes flash with fury, and Gellert is afraid, for he himself has always been the passionate one. As the Elder Wand slips from his hand and flies to his adversary, he crumples to his knees, a position he has not assumed for forty-five years.

"No – Albus – we were so _great_ – and we_ are_ great – you and I – please – I will start afresh if it will make you happy – you and I – anything to make you happy," he babbles. "We were so happy once," he whimpers, as an afterthought.

Albus' voice is icy. "Yes, Grindelwald, _once_. Once upon a time, when we believed in fairy-tales."

There is no fervour now, which further frightens Gellert. It is a voice that could order the deaths of thousands without faltering. This is not how Albus is supposed to speak. This is not a side of Albus which Gellert has ever seen.

"No, Albus, it can't end this way." Surely _Grindelwald_ is not his name. He is just Gellert. Just a boy of seventeen. Just a boy, standing in front of another, asking him for mercy. For love.

"Why can't it end this way, Grindelwald?"

Albus Dumbledore's deep blue eyes meet Gellert's of blue and green. Gellert bites his lip and chews his tongue, which is all he can do to avoid uttering the wretched words: _because I love you_.

* * *

**A/N: **Now you know what Dumbledore thinks of whenever he looks into his magical fireplace. There is a line here which sounds an awful lot like _Je Reviens_ actually.

* * *


	4. Chapter 4

This chapter is dedicated to:

**1. Nian Ning Lee **(1987-2008).  
One of my best and dearest friends from university. Thank you for everything; I'm going to miss you so much. May you rest in peace.

**2.** **koorimechick **& **lindy hopper **who have favourite-ed this!  
**3.** The **4 FFNet-ers** who have alert-ed this!  
**4.** My **8 reviewers**. You keep me going in times of need.  
**5.** **You **guys, my readers. Without you, I would not have hit **over 250 hits.**

* * *

**Four.**

Dumbledore will not touch him. Instead, he lets two Aurors, perhaps twenty years his junior, do his dirty work. Alastor and Amelia, he calls them.

Grindelwald has no more energy left to resist; he allows himself to be carried to Nurmengard, so much more than just a prison. It is where he resides most of the time, as he did in Bathilda's house before he met Albus, falling asleep over great tomes in the library. He was waiting in Bathilda's library, and he was waiting in Nurmengard's library.

But this time he is thrown into the tower opposite, a bare cell which provides its inmate with the barest of linen and the scantiest of food. There is one long, lone window, a slit in the black bricks, too narrow for anyone to slip through without magic. Grindelwald rushes to it, looks down, and sees his vanquisher speaking with the Aurors in the moonlight, before turning his back on Nurmengard.

Grindelwald flings his arm out the window, twisting his body into a grotesque and painful stance.

"GOD DAMN IT, I LOVE YOU!"

He screams out to the night and clenches his teeth and fingers, to no avail. Not one head turns in his direction.

But from the way Dumbledore plods along, he suspects that Dumbledore cannot live with himself any more than he can live with the man called Grindelwald.


	5. Chapter 5

Wow! Seven Ways has just passed the 450-hit mark! Many thanks to you all! Particularly those who have left lovely reviews!

Again, I would like to make special mentions of **Fallen Angel111586, Ignea, Padfoot Reincarnated, dancing in daydreams, koorimechick, m3di4h, snowleaf **and **lindy hopper **who have either added _Seven Ways_ to their list of favourites or alerts!

* * *

**Five.**Albus knows that time is almost up for him, but also that he has done his best to make the most of it. The cogs are set in motion for the children named in the Prophecy to destroy Voldemort's Horcruxes, and bring down Voldemort, and thus end WWIII (The Third Wizarding War). He has plans too, should the Hallows get the better of Harry, the pressure overcome Ronald, or the carnage overwhelm Hermione. 

He has worthy seconds-in-command in Severus Snape, Minerva McGonagall and Alastor Moody, and faithful followers, exemplified by Elphias Doge, who will never surrender all they hold dear.

Is there anything left undone?

He rifles through his possessions now, cataloguing them in his will. Severus has promised that there will not be time to redecorate the Headmaster's Office, that what is there will remain untouched, but he still feels obligated to tidy things up.

Under a heap of things in his old school trunk, he finds a stack of teenage diaries, embellished with photographs, and cannot resist a flick through the images of youthful wizards and witches. Prefect photos. Birthday parties. And two boys tumbling together in a field.

He has not done his best. There is unfinished business yet.

He puts down his will and takes up a blank roll of parchment. He writes, "_Grindelwald – if you receive this message, it will mean that I am dead, and there are things you must be warned about._" The letter is long and elaborate, unlike the crisp and sporadic correspondence they usually have. After all, it will be the very last he will hear of him, and Albus is not one to go out with a whimper.

"Fawkes," he says to the magnificent bird on the perch beside his bed, "When I die, you must take this to Gellert Grindelwald in Nurmengard."

A tear runs down the phoenix's cheek. "Don't waste your tears on me," he says, stroking the bird's golden plumage.

An idea settles upon him. "Fawkes, I need you to speak seven words for me when you deliver the letter. Do you think you can do that?"

The bird nods. Albus draws out his wand, points it at his own throat, and records the message.

"I forgive you and I love you."

* * *

**A/N: **Two more left, guys! And you can probably guess what special day the last one will be coming out on! This particular drabble has a big link to the prologue of _Tempus_ - so if you're wanting more, I recommend you check it out! 


	6. Chapter 6

**Six.**

Gellert paces up and down his cell. It is clichéd, he knows, but 116 years of life have taught him that sometimes life is just that. His slow, painful steps echo on the stone floor, and he thinks of how quickly and nimbly he ran with Albus hand-in-hand through the Godric's Hollow graveyard, laughing at and leaping over the tombstones.

_You must remember this: a kiss is still a kiss, a sigh is just a sigh…the fundamental things apply as time goes by…_

He is the only one left by cruel Time, he knows. He feels it on his skin and in his bones every time the blood-red sun peeps through the slit in the wall. The colour reminds him of Albus' just-kissed lips, of strawberries, and of the summer of '99. It also reminds him of the many things he should not have done, all the blood he shed in the name of the Empire.

He lies down under a thin blanket. Perhaps tonight will be the night when the brother of Sleep will come to take him away at last. He welcomes it. He doesn't know why he is still alive.

_And when two lovers woo, they still say "I love you"…_

An intruder breaks his train of thought. Gellert looks into those red, raw eyes, and smiles. The Riddle Boy is here, searching for the Unbeatable Wand. Albus has been right once again.

And Gellert knows why he is still alive.

"So you have come," he says. "I thought you would, one day. But your journey was pointless. I never had it."

"You lie!" hisses Voldemort. "Give me the truth, or you will die!"

Gellert does not fear death. He never has; he recalls how many times he nearly lost his life in pursuit of things he wanted. He knew ways to ensure that his visions never expired. Ideas are far harder to kill.

_It's still the same old story, a fight for love and glory, a case of "do or die"…_

"Kill me then, Voldemort, I welcome death!"

Gellert wonders who wouldn't, if they called _this_ their home. But under Voldemort's snakelike mask, he can smell the fear of passing on. The stench of several anchors to this world. Albus is right.

"But my death will not bring you what you seek," Gellert continues.

One of the things which Gellert learnt a long time ago is that _love_ leaves its mark on people. But Voldemort's aura is entirely empty. It has no weaknesses, yes, but neither does it have any strengths.

_…the world will always welcome lovers as time goes by…_

Gellert laughs scornfully. "There is so much you do not understand."

* * *

**A/N: No darlings, I haven't forgotten my manners. Thanks go to:**

**1. **Those of you who have contributed to the **over 650 hits! **  
** 2. Cuban Sombrero Gal, Fallen Angel111586, Ignea, Luna C. Starque, Padfoot Reincarnated, dancing in daydreams, koorimechick, m3di4h, snowleaf, nighteyes00 **and **lindy hopper **who are some of my favourite people because Seven Ways is one of their stories on-alert or in their favourites!  
**4. **My **Reviewers.  
_ And Iiiiiiiiiiiiiii-ee-iiiiiiiiii will always love yooooouuuuuuuuuuu._**_  
(If you want me to stop singing, simply leave a review! Or else I'll bust out Celine's Titanic song next)_


	7. Chapter 7

_Happy Valentines Day to my reviewers, my 1000 page-hitters, and in particular, Agent-Sands-Niccals, Fallen Angel111586, Ignea, Padfoot Reincarnated, ProtegoNox, dancing in daydreams, m3di4h, moonlessnightforeverdarkness, Cuban Sombrero Gal, Luna C. Starque, WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot, koorimechick, lindy hopper, nighteyes00 and snowleaf. _

_Here is my Valentine to you. I don't hope that you'll like it - I hope that you'll love it._

* * *

**Seven.**

Gellert wanders around the gigantic room, which reminds him of the grand ballrooms of castles he used to frequent. He catches his reflection in one of the many wide windows.

His hands are pink and unwrinkled, his hair is clean and curly and blonde again, and his lips and cheeks are flushed with health. He pinches his arms and legs and feels firm muscle. He wishes he could wear his old favourite robes again; they appear and fit him like gloves. He is _young_ again.

But he is _younger_ than he was when he madly chased his dreams of an Empire across Europe. He is as young as he was when he met…

There is a vision approaching him, a vision in violet, with red hair and blue eyes that clash loudly and flamboyantly and wonderfully. Albus appears exactly as Gellert always desperately wanted to remember him.

At first, no words pass between them as they circle each other, both struggling to keep their faces blank and unreadable.

But then their arms stretch out of their own accord, their hands meet and entwine, and their bodies melt together.

They will say it now, because they really mean it.

They do not declare it delusionally from the depths of dreams.

They do not wish to manipulate.

They do not use it as an excuse.

They do not utter it mindlessly.

They do not speak it out of self-preservation.

And neither do they turn those three little words over in their mind, guiltily, not having the courage to say it aloud.

Albus and Gellert, their lips next to each other's ears, whisper together in perfect concordance.

**"I love you."**

* * *

_**The End! **_

_You must remember this:  
Advice don't go amiss,  
Whoever it's written by.  
The fundamental things apply  
As time goes by.  
And if you read and review,  
I'll write back and say, "I love you",  
On that you can rely!  
No matter what the future brings  
As time goes by._

_ Yay! It's a happy ending! I hope you guys are as happy as I am to see them together at last.  
_

_Gellert has heterochromia, a medical condition which means that his eyes are different colours. One is blue, and one is green. See Medlineplus for a very good example of this. It is obviously symbolic of a lot of things about him, and it's the way I write him in all my fics..._

_ ...And speaking of "all my fics", now that you've finished this (congratulations!) if you're looking for more, I highly recommend you graduate to the epic **Tempus Amat Volare**. It documents the lead-up to the Albus/Gellert meeting, and eventual showdown. You get an account of Albus' teenage years, from the points of views of his peers, and I also promise you'll see a bit of Gellert's childhood. There are also various ADGG one-shots flying around my account too.  
_

_Most of all, please check out and subscribe to my C2, **HMS The Greater Good**, which is a collection of ADGG!_

_Once again, many thanks, and much love to all. See you soon! _

**_XX stella8h8chang _**


End file.
